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Abstract-To achieve significant improvement in the function of electric-powered, upper-limb prostheses, we believe it is necessary to develop better control interfaces with inherent sensory feedback. Small cineplasties, or other surgical procedures that also externalize the force and excursion of a muscle, could potentially provide this superior control. Connecting a muscle to a prosthetic component via a controller that embodies the concept of extended physiological proprioception (EPP) would enable the physiological sensory feedback inherent in the skin, muscle, and other tissues of the cineplasty to inform the user of the state of the prosthesis. Multiple miniature forearm tunnel cineplasties, each with an EPP controller, might enable meaningful independent multifinger control of hand prostheses. At higher levels of amputation (e.g., transhumeral), small pectoral or deltoid cineplasties could augment existing control sources to improve control of multifunctional total arm prostheses. To explore the feasibility of these ideas, we quantified the control capabilities of individuals with preexisting
biceps muscle tunnel cineplasties with the use of pursuit tracking experiments. A "proof-of-concept" EPP electric hand prosthesis was also successfully developed for a subject with agonist-antagonist, forearm tendon exteriorization cineplasties. The results of the tracking studies demonstrate numerically the efficacy of control by cineplastized muscles relative to other control approaches.
Key words: cineplasty, EPP, extended physiological proprioception, kineplasty, muscle properties, prosthesis, pursuit tracking, transinformation, upper extremity.
INTRODUCTION
The control of present day, externally powered prostheses is generally limited to sequential control of multiple joints for arm prostheses and to a single degree-of-freedom (opening-closing) of the hand replacement. Coordinated control of multifunctional prostheses requires more integrated control than is possible with myoelectricity. Although myoelectric control has been successful in many transradial fittings, this approach provides essentially no feedback to the user concerning the mechanical state of the hand components being controlled and has been used mainly in a velocity-control mode. We believe it is necessary to develop control interfaces with inherent sensory feedback if a significant improvement in the function of electric-powered, upperlimb prostheses is to be achieved.
We believe such interfaces can be achieved with additional surgical procedures in conjunction with physiologically appropriate, externally powered prosthesis controllers. Surgical procedures, such as the VanghettiSauerbruch-Lebsche muscle tunnel cineplasty, or other surgical procedures, such as the tendon exteriorization cineplasty by Beasley (1), which...